Lumber-trimming machine



2 Sheets-811061; 1.

A TTV No Model) B. H. STEA RNS Lumber Trimming Machine. I No. 238,815. Patented March 15,1881.

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E. H. STEARN-S. Lumber Trimming Machine. Nd. 38,815. Fa Pat ented March '15-, 1881.

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N. PETERS. PfiOTO-U NERAFHEK. WASHINGTON, D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

EDWARD H. STEARNS, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

LUMBVER-TRIMMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,815, dated March 15, 1881.

Application filed July 9, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. STEARNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erieand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Trimming Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, aml exact description of the invention,v such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction of machines for trimming lumber; and itconsists in improvements in the arrangementand operation of the saws, and in the devices for feeding the lumber to the saws.

The object, purpose, and scope of my invention will fully appear in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, my device is illustrated as follows: Figure 1 is an elevation of the end of the machine, taken from the right end of Fig. 2. This may be called the forward end of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view, with the upper framework, A, (shown in Fig. I) omitted.

My machine may be said to consist of two parts, viz: first, the table and the devices attached thereto for conveying the lumber across it; second, the saws, saw-frames,and the devices attached thereto tor operating the same. The former of these parts, to wit, the table and lumber-feeding devices, are placed on the floor of the mill, while the latter, to wit, the saws, saw-frames, and devices for operating the same, are attached to frame-work overhead, and operate dependently therefrom.

In all lumber-trimn'iing machines which out both ends of the lumber at the same time with which I am acquainted, the saws, saw-frames, belts, levers, &c., are arranged below the table and operate upwardly through the top of the same. The consequencesof such a construction are that the parts are not easy of access faces but one, 0.

to fall through the table, because, if they did, they would clog the machinery or break it or be thrown out and endanger persons adjacent, and it permitted to accumulate on the table, they will pile up and foul the movementof the chains and crowd against the saws and injure the machine. Another defectin themachines at present constructed arises from the construction and means for moving the feedingchains, which carry the lumber to the saws, and consists in their liability to slip and get the lugs thereon which push the lumber out of range, and so carry the boards to the'saws obliquely. In my device I do not avoid the liability of the chains slipping or beingt-hrown out of place; but when they do so slip the machine becomes practically inoperative, and the operator is compelled to fix them in place, while in the forms now in use the operator may neglect to readjust the chains. so as to bring the lugs in line, and go on sawinglumber ot'f diagonally. The means I employ are to havecertain linksin the chain without sprocketopenings, and certain faces of the sheaves over which the chains run made without cogs or pins. This will appear fully hereinafter.

By my construction all thedifficulties Ihave above named are avoided and many benefits are gained.

My machine is constructed as follows:

A A is the frame-work of the table, which is of ordinary form, except that its top is open under the saws, and may be entirely open, or it may be covered as far as from J to J.

A A is a proper frame-work overhead for sustainingthe sawingapparatus. This framework may be attached to the joist overhead, or it may be supported by proper frame-work.

B B, &c., are the chains which convey the lumber across the table to the saws, and are called teed-chains. L L represent the lumber being so conveyed. The chains B are formed of links I) b and lugged links b.

O and H are the sheaves over which the chains run, of which 0 is the working sheave, and is provided with teeth 0 upon all of its If the sheave is of sufficient circumference it may have more than one blank face, which should be placed at regular intervals. The chain-links should have holes in them for the cogs of the sheave, except at intervals corresponding with the intervals at which the blank faces of the sheaves occur. A link should be used at those points having no opening. By this means, if the chains should slip for any reason the blank link would come on a face of the sheave having a cog, and this would practically make it inoperative, or, at least, enough so to require the immediate attention of the operator for correction and readjustment.

As the lugged links of the chain 1) are of peculiar construction I make them the closed or' blank links; but this is not essential. So it will be seen that from one lugged link to another there are seven open links corresponding with the seven eogged faces of the sheaves O, and the lugged link I) intersects the blank face of the sheave. Other than as above stated the form of the links is optional.

The parts of the machine supported from above and operating dependently therefrom are as follows:

A main shaft, D, extends parallel with the table, and bears as many belt-pulleys, D, D D &c., asare needed.

E is a shaft parallel with the main shaft, and has pivoted thereon a series of tilting frames F N F N 860. In the frames F are mounted saws S S S 850., on arbors s 8 &c., and in each of the frames N are mounted rollers W. The arrangement of the series of sawframes with relation to the length ofthe tableis the same as in many other trimming-machines, and needs not explanation by me. Each of the saw-frames is connected to one of the rollerframes, and the two constitute a set. Thus F and N, F and N F andN F and N F and N are so coupled together. One of the wheels and frames N and WV areindependent of any saw and serve only as a presser-roller, and ordinarily the saw-frame F and roller-frame N are disconnected and operate independently of each other, at which times the wheel W serves only as a presser-roller; but a connecting apparatus is provided, and may be used when desired, as will be hereinafter explained. The means which I show for connecting these frames, but to which I do not desire to belimited, as manyother devices may be substituted therefor, are as follows A swinging catch, K, is attached to the wheel-frame and engages with a lug-catch, It, on the saw-frame, and when so engaged is held in place by a spring, T, or some equivalent device. These catches may be disengaged by the pull-rods K, and held back by locking the catches g thereon over the rod-support G. When these frames levers which carry down the saws.

with, as explained, will be raised sufficiently to clear the lumber and not saw it. Only the saw whose accompanying wheel does not pass over the lumber will saw the lumber unless it is uncatched or disconnected from the same. As both ends of the board are to be sawed off, and as the saw S at the head of the table would not saw that end of the board unless it was disconnected from the wheel, it is necessary to leave that saw disconnected until for some reason it is not desired to saw that end of the board 5 but the other saws should all be left connected to the rollers, unless for some reason it is desired to saw the board off at some intermediate point.

To understand the operation of my machine let it be supposed that the passing board is of the length indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. It will be seen that wheel W will pass over it. Consequently saw S will not saw it; but wheel W isrbeyond the end of it and will not pass over it. Consequently saw S will saw it off; and so it will be through the series of sets. If the board were so long that the wheels W and W would run over it, and not wheel then saw S would cut it off. If, however, the operator, who stands at the lower side of the table, should see a board passing up which had a defect in it so far from the end that the ICO cept when a defect is seen, as above described,

and then it is only necessary for the operator to draw out the proper pull-rod K.

I am aware that other machines have been made in which the proper saws are brought into contact with the lumber automatically. For example, see the patent to Peter Musser, January 27, 1880, in which the saws are displaced through the top of the table by the boards passing over levers which protrude through the top of the table, while in my machine the saws are raised out of the way by the rollers W passing over the lumber. In the Musser machine presser rollers are used to give the board sufficient weight to depress the I use rollers for two purposes first, to roll over the lumber and lift up the saws, and, second, to hold the lumber down against the lifting action of the saws while sawing it off.

It will be seen by noting the arrows in Fig. 1, that my saws cut upward through the board. The object of this is to prevent the possibility of the saws climbing over the board without sawing it, a contingency which arises by rea son of the frames in which the saws are mounted being adjusted to tilt upward. This contin gency, however, can be avoided, if so desired, by weighting the saw-frame sufficiently if it is desired to run the saw in the opposite direc* board.

In my machine all the off-fall or trimmings immediately drop below the table, and do not accumulate on the table to clog the machinery.

ing of the machine. Attaching the sawing" apparatus over head, and causing the same to operate downward therefrom, is of very great importance, and may be applied to machines in which the saws are operated by hand-levers as well as to automatic machines.

Other devices than those I show for raising the saws may be used. For example, the ends of the saw-frames, or of frames like the rollerframes, may be provided with shoes in place of rollers, which will slide over the lumber like a sled-runner.

The rollers or runners may be permanently attached to the saw'framesflf it is not desired to have the saws operateindependentlythereof at certain times; or they may be attached to the saw-frames, and yet be provided with means for changing their position, so as to permit the saws to cut when they run over the lumber. r

I am aware that saws for cuttingotf lumber, slabs, 850., have been attached to fI'ttl'I184VQl'k pendent from above, but they in no way anticipate my invention, for I do not claim, broadly, the mounting of a saw in a frame which is pendent from above.

What I claim as new is 1. In a lumber-trimming machine, a table, and means substantially as shown for conveying the lumber across the-same, in combination with sawing apparatus dependentfrom above said table, and devices, substantially as named, connected thereto for automatically raising and lowering or otherwise displacing said sawsaslsaid devices are acted upon by the passing'lumber.

2. In a lumber-trimming machine, the combination, substantially as shown, of the following elements: a table across which the lumber is carried by feeding mechanism substantially as shown, saws mounted in frames which are dependent from above said table and movable from and toward the same, devices, substantially as shown, for moving said saws from and toward said table when acted upon'by the passing lumber, and a catch de vice, substantially as shown, for detachably connecting said saw-frames, and said devices for movingsaid saw-frames, and thereby enabling the operator to permit or not permit the saws to be raised from the table when said devices for moving said saws pass over the passing lumber.

3. In a lumber-trimming machine,the combination, substantially as shown, of the following elements: a table across which the lumber is fed by feeding mechanism substantially as shown,sa\vs mountedinframes which are dependent from above and movable from and toward said table, rollers adjusted in frames which are also dependent from above and are movable from and toward said table, and are connected in the order named to said saw-frames, and thereby cause said saw-frames to move from and toward said table when said rollers pass over lumber moving on said table.

4. In a lumber-trinnning machine, the combination, substantially as shown, of the. following elements: a table across which the lumber is fed by feeding mechanism substantially shown, saws mounted in frames which are dependentfrom above and movable from and toward said table, devices, substantially as named, attached to said saw frames, for raising said frames and saws by the lumber passing under the same.

In testii'nony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD H. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

J NO. K. HALLOGK, S. S. SPENCER. 

